Google+ Gains Users by Erik Sass

After months of skepticism and nay-saying from doubters like myself, Google+ appears to be establishing itself as a viable social network and possibly even a competitor to Facebook (even though doctrinaire users will remind you that it is not supposed to be a social network or a Facebook competitor, according to Google executives). ...Read the whole story

  • Ad, Media M&A Interest Heats Up: Interactive Agencies Reap Low-End Of Multiples by Joe Mandese

    Advertising, marketing and media executives say they are more likely to either buy or sell a media-related business in 2012 than a similar group of executives said at the same point heading into 2011, according to the 18th edition of an annual survey by media industry mergers and acquisitions adviser AdMedia Partners. The results suggest 2012 could be a healthy year for M&A deals, as companies seek to strategically reorganize their products and services, or divest of properties at what AdMedia described as "strong" multiples. ...Read the whole story

  • telecom Cox's Facebook Effort Raises Money For Charity by Tanya Irwin

    The effort consists of a Holiday Digeez Snow Globe that allows Cox's 250,000 Facebook fans to place their favorite photos into a holiday-themed snow globe. Fans can customize their snow globe with a variety of different holiday designs. ...Read the whole story

search Search Engine For Colleges Building Links To Social 3Rs by Laurie Sullivan

How does a high school student looking for a college to further their education find the perfect program? Answering that question, Fred Jambukeswaran found a niche and created collegeseekr.com. Rather than clicking through multiple pages and screens, the search engine aggregates and pulls in data from Web sites based on location, which could become a gold mine for brands looking to connect one on one with students through recommendations, retail and restaurants. ...More

  • Trends for 2012: How Teen Social Media Behavior Will Impact Marketing Strategies by Reggie Bradford

    Teens today are growing up in a vastly different world than I did, due in large part to the emerging technologies that surround them. This young group knows no other world than one in which information is always at their fingertips; a world in which everyone is "connected." It's not surprising that they use the Web more than any other demographic - according to eMarketer 93% of 12-17 year olds are Internet users versus only 74% of the total U.S. population. ...More